NDC members caution against imposing candidates

The South-East group of the Nigerian Democratic Congress has warned the party’s leaders not to delay the release of primary election results. They also oppose imposing candidates, saying this could lead to more internal issues and weaken the party before the 2027 general election.

This warning comes as political parties rush to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission’s deadline for submitting candidates for the elections.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, Maxwell Igbokwe, the Chairman of the NDC South-East in the Federal Capital Territory, urged party leaders to follow internal democracy. He said only candidates who come from transparent primary elections should be sent to INEC.

Igbokwe raised concerns about the results of some primaries held over two months ago that are still not officially out. He warned that this delay could create more divisions within the party.

Igbokwe said, “We call on the leadership of our party to uphold the NDC constitution, respect the outcome of a transparent and lawful primary process, and ensure that no individual is imposed on the people.”

He warned that trying to manipulate the nomination process would hurt members’ trust and harm the reputation of a party based on transparency, accountability, and fairness.

The group pointed to the House of Representatives primary for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency, claiming that the exercise was manipulated.

According to Igbokwe, “The NDC was established to offer Nigerians a departure from the undemocratic practices associated with older political parties and should not abandon the ideals upon which it was founded.”

He alleged that recent events around the AMAC/Bwari House of Representatives ticket suggested attempts to go around the democratic process.

The South-East group recalled statements from the party’s National Leader, Seriake Dickson, claiming that the House of Representatives ticket for the constituency was given to activist Aisha Yesufu. This happened even though she did not buy nomination forms or show interest in running.

They also mentioned comments from the party’s National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu. He reportedly said in a media interview that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, personally asked Yesufu to accept the nomination, but she declined.

Igbokwe said the order of events raises big questions about the party’s nomination process.

“Our findings raise further concerns. We have reason to believe the party’s national leadership has been trying to substitute or impose a candidate outside the established democratic process.

“If allowed to stand, such actions would undermine the credibility of our party, erode members’ confidence and violate the principles of fairness and due process on which the NDC was founded,” he said.

He emphasized that the group’s intervention was meant to protect the party’s integrity, not to create divisions. Justice and due process must take center stage.

This situation comes just days after INEC gave the NDC access to its candidate nomination portal. This allows the party to start uploading candidates' names for the 2027 general election.

The nomination for National Assembly, governorship, and State House of Assembly candidates is ongoing. The party believes it has enough time to finish before the July 11 deadline for National Assembly candidates and the July 17 deadline for governorship and State House of Assembly candidates.

Despite these assurances, the South-East group insists that all unresolved primary issues should be settled quickly to maintain party unity and public trust before the elections.

In response, the NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, dismissed claims of candidate imposition. He said the Electoral Act allows political parties to adopt consensus when needed.

He stated, “Section 84 of the Electoral Act stipulates the method of choosing candidates by parties, which is either through direct primaries or consensus. If a party has conducted direct primaries, discovered possible irregularities, and decided, in its wisdom, to apply the mechanism of consensus building, I think it is the party’s prerogative to do so.”

“Politics, like every other human process, is dynamic. If, at any point, a party chooses to change its mind during candidate selection, that is its business.”

Director denied claims that the party imposed candidates.

“I have not heard about that in my party. What people complain about is that some persons who lost elections have raised issues, and we are looking into them.

“As stated earlier, we don’t want any single member of our party leaving because they feel they were not treated fairly. To that extent, we are addressing the issues, but I have not heard of any case of imposition,” he said.

On accusations that some politicians who lost the primaries were later added to the party’s list submitted to INEC, he downplayed those claims.

“To the best of my knowledge, without name-calling or specifics, all those who won elections have their mandates, while those who lost have every reason to know why and how they lost. Those are the issues that have been addressed by the NDC without fear or favor,” he said.